You'd think Ishtar would have convinced celebrities that giving their movies odd names usually guarantees a flop. If the audience isn't sure how to pronounce the movie's title, they're going to opt for something easier to say. Ken Russell once came up with a provocative ad campaign for his dismal mess, Whore, wherein the poster said "if you can't say it, just see it." Perhaps United Artists can use the same tactic when (or should I say if) Tom Cruise's Valkyrie finally opens. What 12-year old boy (and believe me, Hollywood markets everything to 12 year old boys) can pronounce it, let alone knows what a Valkyrie is? Hell, Microsoft Word, which I believe is 12 years old now, doesn't even know. It keeps flagging that word as a typo.

Tags: heaven's gate, richard wagner, ride of the valkyries, tom cruise